The invention relates to a materials handling apparatus, amd more particularly to an apparatus for adding a first granular material disposed in a first container to a second granular material disposed in a second container, having a conveyor conduit connected to a conveyor means, and a feed conduit which communicates with the conveyor conduit, for the feed of the first granular material to be added.
The term granular material is used in accordance with this invention to denote a material in grain form, the grain size of which may vary within wide limits, that is to say, powder components may be processed with the mixing apparatus according to the invention, as well as course-grain components.
Dyeing or coloring apparatuses are known for mixing granular or powder dyestuffs, additives and the like. Such apparatuses are used as components in an injection molding machine system.
In one specific embodiment of the known dyeing or coloring apparatus, a disc which is provided with outer chambers, acting as a metering cell, rotates in a horizontal plane beneath the material which is to be metered, and , at a given point, allows the material which is received by the chambers to drop into a mixer. The individual components are fed to the mixer in the ratio therebetween which is preselected at a control arrangement, and are so intensively mixed by a mixing tool that the mixture leaves the outlet of the mixer in a homogenous condition.
The major disadvantage of those known coloring or mixing apparatuses is that a first material, admixed with a second material, from two separate containers, must be introduced in a metered condition into a third additional container where the material must undergo mixing for a certain period of time before then the final product, in the desired ratio between the components in the mixture, can leave the third mixing container. It will be seen that known mixing apparatuses require more space and operating time for, besides the basic granulates or basic materials, the mixed materials must also be received in an additional container and mixed therein. The respective stirring tools are provided with additional drives and the overall control means for setting the correct ratio between the components of the mixture is complicated. All in all, the known apparatus is to be considered as being very expensive, and it is not possible for the ratio between the components of the mixture to be continuously varied.
The object of the present invention is therefore so to improve such known mixing apparatuses that substances in powder or grain form, which herein are generally referred to as granular material, can be mixed in a simpler fashion, while the ratio between the components of the mixture is also to be continuously adjustable.